Chapter 505: Atonement

"I see. It looks like you’re enjoying it, though."

Young Naruto saw Boruto’s awkwardness and Sarada’s subtle movements, and understood everything in his heart.

He didn’t point it out, but instead followed Boruto’s lead, flashing an understanding smile.

He stepped forward, naturally draping an arm over Boruto’s shoulder and leading him aside, turning their backs to Sarada, Mitsuki, and Otohime, as if they were about to have a private chat.

"Come on, Boruto, help me check where I put my wallet. I don’t seem to be able to find it," Young Naruto said, pretending to rummage through his pockets while actually pulling a bulging wallet from his chest pocket.

He opened the wallet and pulled out a thick stack of high-denomination bills with subtle, swift movements.

"However, Boruto."

Young Naruto lowered his voice to a volume only the two of them could hear: "A boy can’t go around without some money on him. Money is a man’s confidence; it might sound cliché, but it’s quite useful sometimes." His tone was casual, as if he were just imparting life experience.

Boruto also lowered his voice, speaking softly and earnestly through the mesh of the mascot costume’s headpiece: "Mr. Souma, I appreciate your kindness. But I really can’t accept this. And... actually, the reason I came this time isn’t just for a part-time job."

He paused, seemingly hesitating whether to say more, but thinking that Young Naruto was no stranger—and seemed to have already guessed something—he continued:

"Actually... our squad received a B-rank mission yesterday. We are currently on a mission."

"A B-rank mission?" Young Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Is the target a Ninja?"

"I heard it’s a peeping tom who also likes to steal things. They’re quite skilled and have committed several crimes in the amusement park without being caught."

Boruto explained, "So the amusement park owner privately approached Konohamaru and asked for our help. Konohamaru thought this would be a good opportunity for us to train, so he agreed."

A B-rank mission involving a Ninja—specifically a Ninja below Chunin level—was indeed suitable for a squad of Boruto’s level to gain practical training.

Moreover, executing tracking and capture missions in a crowded place like an amusement park could effectively train their observation and adaptability.

Although Boruto’s squad had participated in the Chunin Exams and fought against many powerful peers, they still lacked experience in combat.

"Hehe, I see."

Young Naruto smiled. "Then good luck, and stay safe."

As he spoke, he lightning-fast shoved the thick stack of bills directly into the gap between the headpiece and the body of Boruto’s mascot costume.

"I’ll probably be leaving this world in a couple of days. Keep this money to spend; it’s not much, but it should cover your pocket money for a while. Don’t refuse; just take it as a small token of my goodwill."

This money was only about half of Asuma’s bounty, so it really wasn’t much.

The purchasing power of this stack of money should be quite considerable in this world.

Boruto felt something being shoved into his headpiece, froze for a moment, and then immediately realized what it was.

He wanted to refuse, but Young Naruto had already let go of him and patted the shoulder of the mascot costume.

"Work hard, and don’t embarrass the Seventh Hokage."

Young Naruto left these words, said nothing more, and turned to walk toward Hinata and the others.

Boruto stood where he was, moving his hand inside the mascot costume to find the money Young Naruto had given him. Feeling the thickness of the stack of bills, he felt a complex mix of emotions.

This money was still a lot to him, but he felt more reluctant about Young Naruto’s impending departure.

"Thank you, Mr. Souma."

, , , , , , , , , ,

The moon in the original timeline.

Ever since Otohime used "Kamimusubi" to leave this timeline and head to a parallel world, the genjutsu control imposed on Hamura had rapidly dissipated like a receding tide.

Hamura slowly opened his eyes. His Byakugan, which should have been pure and flawless, now appeared incomparably weary and aged. Deep in his eyes, a glimmer of clarity remained after breaking free from the restraints, along with deeper, complex emotions that had accumulated for a thousand years.

He floated quietly within the Sealing Space, facing that massive, chaotic aggregation of Chakra representing his mother Kaguya’s will, and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he sighed faintly. His voice sounded exceptionally clear and heavy in the vast, dead-silent Sealing Space:

"Mother..."

"I... now understand why Brother insisted on creating the ’Ninshu’ back then."

Hamura’s gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, seeing the distant past.

"When Brother first spread Chakra to the world, his original intention... was to use Chakra as a bridge to ’connect the spiritual energy between people’."

Hamura said slowly, "He believed that through the resonance and connection of Chakra, people could better understand each other, eliminate barriers, and achieve peace. It was a way of using power... filled with ideals and goodwill."

His tone carried a deep sense of nostalgia and a hint of imperceptible regret.

"But later..."

Hamura’s voice lowered. "People gradually deviated from Brother’s original intention. They no longer used Chakra to connect with the spirits of others, but instead combined Chakra with their own spiritual and physical energy to create various powerful Ninjutsu.

Chakra, from a ’bridge of understanding,’ became a weapon that stirred up the Ninja World."

He looked up at Kaguya with complex eyes:

"Just like the way you used Chakra back then. Using Chakra as a tool for conquest and destruction."

"If we—Brother and I, and you—could have realized earlier and persisted in using that method of ’using Chakra to connect spiritual energy’ to communicate, understand, and resolve conflicts..."

Hamura’s voice trembled slightly. "Would... everything that happened later have been avoided?"

"Would you not have sacrificed everyone, and would we not have reached the step of mother and son killing each other, being forced to Seal you?"

In the Sealing Space, there was silence.

After a long while, Kaguya spoke.

"Things in the past are already in the past."

Her voice carried little emotion.

"We cannot be certain that the path not taken would necessarily have been a better one.

Perhaps, even if we had used another method, we would have headed toward a different, yet equally thorny, ending for other reasons."

She paused, seemingly lost in memory:

"I do not have the ability to see the future, nor can I return to the past to change everything that has already happened. I also underestimated you brothers."

The Sealing Space fell into silence once again.

Suddenly, Kaguya’s voice sounded again. This time, there seemed to be a hint of probing in her tone.

"If..."

"If I were willing... to travel the Ninja World as a wandering monk to atone for my past sins..."

"Would you be willing to spare me?"

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